An electric road, eroad, e-roadway, or electric road system (ERS) is a road which supplies electric power to vehicles travelling on it. Common implementations are overhead power lines above the road, ground-level power supply through conductive rails, and dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT) through resonant inductive coils or inductive rails embedded in the road. Overhead power lines are limited to commercial vehicles while ground-level rails and inductive power transfer can be used by any vehicle, which allows for public charging through a power metering and billing systems. Of the three methods, ground-level conductive rails are estimated to be the most cost-effective. [1] : 10–11
Government studies and trials have been conducted in several countries. Korea was the first to implement an induction-based public electric road with a commercial bus line in 2013 after testing an experimental shuttle service in 2009, [2] : 11–18 but it was shut down due to aging infrastructure amidst controversy over the continued public funding of the technology. [3] United Kingdom municipal projects in 2015 [4] and 2021 found wireless electric roads financially unfeasible. [5] Germany found in 2023 that the wireless electric road system (wERS) by Electreon collects 64.3% of the transmitted energy, poses many difficulties during installation, and blocks access to other infrastructure in the road. [6] Sweden has been performing assessments of various electric road technologies since 2013 under the Swedish Transport Administration electric road program. [7] : 5 As of 2023 Sweden is pursuing cost-reduction measures for either wireless or rail electric roads. [8] Germany trialed overhead lines in three projects and reported they are too expensive, difficult to maintain, and pose a safety risk. [9] [10] [11] France found those same drawbacks for overhead lines, and began testing inductive and rail electric road systems in 2023. [12] [13]
Terms like "electric highway" may also be used to describe regular roads fitted with charging stations at regular intervals. [14]
TRL (formerly Transport Research Laboratory) lists three power delivery types for dynamic charging, or charging while the vehicle is in motion: overhead power lines, ground level power through rails, and induction through rails or resonant coils. TRL lists overhead power as the most technologically mature solution which provides the highest levels of power, but the technology is unsuitable for non-commercial vehicles. Ground-level power is suitable for all vehicles, with rail being a mature solution with high transfer of power and easily accessible and inspected elements. Inductive charging delivers the least power, requires more electrical roadside equipment than the alternatives. [2] : Appendix D In-road inductive charging was also found increases the risk of damage to the road surface. [15]
Governments and research institutes recommended standardizing ERS technologies before choosing one specific technology. A report by the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) recommends inter-city infrastructure capable of 300 kW or more for best cost-effectiveness. [16] The Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) similarly recommends a system capable of delivering 300 kW per truck. [17] The French Ministry of Ecology working group recommends 400 kW for 44-ton trucks driving at 90 kilometers per hour along a 2% grade, or at minimum 250 kW so the truck can charge along flat or gently-sloping roads. [18] : 25 The European Commission published in 2021 a request for regulation and standardization of electric road systems. [19]
A standard for electrical equipment on-board a vehicle powered by ground level rail electric road system (ERS), CENELEC Technical Standard 50717, has been published in late 2022. [20] A standard for a complete ground-level power supply system is scheduled to be published by the end 2024, [21] [22] as specified in the proposed technical standard prTS 50740 in accordance with European Union directive 2023/1804. [23] [24]
Standards for inductive charging for vehicles have been available since 2020, though they are not immediately suited for electric roads. For instance, the CEO of IPT, a vehicle inductive power transfer company, regards the existing standards as "extremely expensive" for use in electric roads. Cost-effective implementations are being explored by IPT, such as inductive rails. [25] WiPowerOne (an offshoot of the KAIST OLEV project) and Electreon, two wireless electric road companies, have been working on new dynamic inductive charging standards since 2021. [26]
The Swedish Transport Administration anticipates that a national electric road network would require interfaces between several players: the electricity supplier, the power grid company, the vehicle manufacturer, the road owner, the electric road technology operator, the metering and billing provider, and the user of the electric road. The ownership model can vary: the power grid company may own the secondary roadside electrical substations that power the electric road infrastructure or they may be owned by other players, and the power reading and payment system may be owned by a player separate from the infrastructure operator. [7] : 10–11
Overhead power lines have been used for road transport since at least 1882 in Berlin with Werner von Siemens's trolley buses. Over 300 trolley bus systems were in operation in 2018. Power to trolley buses is normally delivered using a pair of trolley poles positioned on top of the vehicle which extends to the overhead power lines. Implementations for highway vehicles have been developed in the late 2000s and 2010s [27] : 15 but they are not suitable for non-commercial vehicles such as passenger cars. [2] : Appendix D
Ground-level power supply in the form of electrified rails is similar to overhead power lines in implementation. Instead of an arm or pole extending to overhead power lines, a mechanical arm extends from the bottom of the vehicle and aligns with a rail embedded in the road. The rail is then powered, and power is transferred through the arm to the vehicle. [27] : 16 Ground-level power supply is considered aesthetically preferable to overhead wires [27] : 20 and it is suited for all types of vehicles. [2] : 24
The concept of a wireless ground-level power supply for vehicles was first patented in 1894. A static-charging system for shuttle buses was demonstrated in New Zealand in 1996. [27] : 13 Similar systems have been implemented by Conductix-Wampfler and Bombardier PRIMOVE, which were later developed from static charging at bus stations to dynamic charging while driving. [2] : Appendix B
Development of electronic road systems has grown significantly from the late 1990s through the 2010s. [2] : 12–22 Several companies have developed and implemented electric road systems in the 2010s. [2] : Appendix B
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology launched in 2009 a shuttle service with wireless dynamic charging through inductive coils embedded in the road. In 2013 OLEV launched a bus line in the city of Gumi. [2] : 16 Another bus line was launched in Sejong in 2015, and two more bus lines were added in Gumi in 2016. [28] : 4 All four wireless charging bus lines were shut down due to aging infrastructure. A new bus line was inaugurated in 2019 in Yuseong District. [29] Commercialization of the technology has not been successful, leading to controversy over the continued public funding of the technology in 2019. [3]
The Swedish Transport Administration, Trafikverket, established an electric road program that studied the feasibility of an electric road national infrastructure for Sweden. The fact-finding program began in 2012 [30] and assessments of various electric road technologies in Sweden began in 2013. [31] : 12 Trafikverket expected the final report of the Swedish electrification commission by the end of 2022, [32] but it was delayed until December 2024. [33]
The final report by CollERS, the Swedish-German research collaboration on electric road systems, advised Trafikverket to select a single ERS technology, suitable for heavy trucks, with several suppliers who use an existing standard, coordinated with German and French ERS decisions, not necessarily led by the European Union but with their coordination, utilizing an ERS-technology-neutral payment system. [34]
Trafikverket was expected to announce its chosen technology for electric roads by late 2023, [35] but due to procurement offers for the first permanent electric road on the E20 highway exceeding the project's budget, in 2023 Trafikverket began investigating cost-reducing measures in order to realize the project within its budget. [8] The E20 project was funded at 500-600 million SEK, or about 24-29 million SEK per two lane-kilometers. [36]
France plans to invest 30 to 40 billion euro by 2035 in an electric road system spanning 8,800 kilometers that recharges electric cars, buses and trucks while driving. Two projects for assessment of electric road technologies were announced in 2023. Three technologies were originally considered: ground-level power supply, inductive charging, and overhead lines. Ground-level power supply technologies, provided by Alstom, Elonroad, and others, are considered the most likely candidate for electric roads. Inductive charging is not considered a mature technology as it delivers the least power, loses 20%-25% of the supplied power when installed on trucks, and its health effects have yet to be documented. Overhead lines is the most mature technology, but the catenaries and overhead wires pose safety and maintenance issues, [13] and motorway companies find overhead lines too expensive. [12]
France constructed a test track for Qualcomm dynamic wireless charging of vehicles, and concluded testing in 2018. [37] : 9
Alstom has developed a ground-level power supply (alimentation par le sol - APS) system for use with buses and other vehicles. [38] The system has been tested for compatibility with snow plows and for safety under exposure to snow, ice, salting, and saturated brine. [39] Alstom will trial its electric road system (ERS) on the public road RN205 [40] in the Rhône-Alpes region between 2024 and 2027. [41] The system is expected to supply 500 kW of power for electric heavy trucks, as well as power for road utility vehicles and electric cars. [42]
Vinci will test two electric road systems (ERS) from 2023 to 2027. Both technologies will initially be tested in laboratory conditions, and upon meeting the test requirements they will be installed along 2 kilometers each on the A10 autoroute south of Paris. Wireless ERS by Electreon will be tested for durability under highway traffic, and will attempt to reach 200kW of power delivery per truck using multiple receivers. Rail ERS by Elonroad, which supplies 350kW of power per receiver, will be tested for skid effects on motorcycles. Both systems will be interoperable with cars, buses, and trucks. [43]
India has announced plans for a 6,000-km electric highway network. [44] The part of the network between Sohna and Jaipur is intended first for electric buses. [45]
Japan tested an electric road system on a public road with Honda in 2018. [37] : 10
The German Ministry of Economy, BMWK, assessed overhead line systems for trucks. The project was titled "e-Highway" and culminated in three public highway trials: FESH, ELISA, and eWayBW. [2] [46] One such trial was launched in May 2019 on a 10 km (6.2 mi) section of Bundesautobahn 5 south of Frankfurt, operated by the ELISA consortium which includes Siemens and Scania. [47] Results were mixed. By the end if the trial period the system was functioning satisfactorily, and operators using the technology enjoyed lower freight costs. Despite this, the Ministry encountered high costs, difficult maintenance, [10] and safety risks for emergency services by the overhead lines and for motorists by the roadside poles. [11] Subsequently, the Ministry ended its financial support of the trials. [9]
Bombardier conducted a dynamic wireless power transfer trial in Mannheim, Germany, in 2013. [37] : 9
Wireless electric road system (wERS) trials were conducted in 2023 by the German Ministry of Economy, BMWK, with infrastructure by Electreon. A bus was equipped with inductive coils that receive power from a 200-meter strip of transmitters under the road surface. The receivers were able to collect 64.3% of the energy emitted from the transmitters. Installation proved complex and costly, and finding suitable locations for the coils' roadside power cabinets proved difficult. The wERS infrastructure blocked access to all civil infrastructure beneath it. Internet access outages caused the wERS infrastructure to stop functioning entirely. [6]
Highways England began a dynamic wireless power transfer project in 2015 [48] but the project was cancelled in early 2016 for budgetary reasons. [4] Another dynamic wireless power transfer feasibility study, dubbed DynaCoV, began in 2021 and issued its final report in 2022. The study found that dynamic wireless charging is 3 to 10 times more expensive than conductive charging and is not financially feasible. [5] Proposed costs for 200 metres (220 yd) were about 716,000 GBP for the inductive coils and their management units, £258,000 for civil costs including roadwork and electric grid connections, £64,000 for planning and commissioning, £18,000 for 12 months maintenance and data management, £129,500 for upfitting a bus and a van with wireless receivers, and £300,000 for the accompanying report on the project. [49] The company that participated in the study, Electreon, is set to pave its demonstration wireless charging road in 2024. [50]
In May 2023, ENRX (formerly IPT) won a contract to build a one-mile wireless charging system capable of charging at up to 200 kW on State Road 516 near Orlando, Florida. The project is funded at 13 million dollars. [51] Detroit, Michigan opened in November 2023 a quarter-mile wireless charging road section near Michigan Central. The project was funded at 5.9 million dollars. [52] The infrastructure, provided by Electreon, powered a van driving at 9mph with 16kW of power. [53]
Indiana began constructing a strip of electrified highway in 2024 that uses inductive coil charging at 200kW, suitable for heavy trucks. The project costs 11 million dollars per quarter mile of road. Research on the project, conducted by Purdue University's Steve Pekarek, aims to show the technology could make a transition to heavy electric trucks more financially beneficial for businesses. [54]
Transportation in France relies on one of the densest networks in the world with 146 km of road and 6.2 km of rail lines per 100 km2. It is built as a web with Paris at its center. Rail, road, air and water are all widely developed forms of transportation in France.
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws power from dual overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires, and two trolley poles, are required to complete the electrical circuit. This differs from a tram or streetcar, which normally uses the track as the return path, needing only one wire and one pole. They are also distinct from other kinds of electric buses, which usually rely on batteries. Power is most commonly supplied as 600-volt direct current, but there are exceptions.
In transportation, platooning or flocking is a method for driving a group of vehicles together. It is meant to increase the capacity of roads via an automated highway system.
An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs include road and rail vehicles, electric boats and underwater vessels, electric aircraft and electric spacecraft.
Ground-level power supply, also known as surface current collection or, in French, alimentation par le sol, is a concept and group of technologies whereby electric vehicles collect electric power at ground level from individually-powered segments instead of the more common overhead lines. Ground-level power supply was developed for aesthetic reasons, to avoid the presence of overhead lines in city centres.
An electric bus is a bus that is propelled using electric motors, as opposed to a conventional internal combustion engine. Electric buses can store the needed electrical energy on board, or be fed mains electricity continuously from an external source such as overhead lines. The majority of buses using on-board energy storage are battery electric buses, where the electric motor obtains energy from an onboard battery pack, although examples of other storage modes do exist, such as the gyrobus that uses flywheel energy storage. When electricity is not stored on board, it is supplied by contact with outside power supplies, for example, via a current collector, or with a ground-level power supply, or through inductive charging.
Inductive charging is a type of wireless power transfer. It uses electromagnetic induction to provide electricity to portable devices. Inductive charging is also used in vehicles, power tools, electric toothbrushes, and medical devices. The portable equipment can be placed near a charging station or inductive pad without needing to be precisely aligned or make electrical contact with a dock or plug.
A trolleytruck is a trolleybus-like vehicle used for carrying cargo instead of passengers. A trolleytruck is usually a type of electric truck powered by two overhead wires, from which it draws electricity using two trolley poles. Two current collectors are required in order to supply and return current, because the return current cannot pass to the ground since trolleytrucks use tires that are insulators. Lower powered trucks, such as might be seen on the streets of a city, tend to use trolley poles for current collection. Higher powered trucks, such as those used for large construction or mining projects, may exceed the power capacity of trolley poles and have to use pantographs instead. Trolleytrucks have been used in various places around the world and are still in use in cities in Russia and Ukraine, as well as at mines in North America and Africa. Because they draw power from the mains, trolleytrucks can use renewable energy sources – modern trolleytrucks systems are under test in Sweden and Germany along highways using diesel–electric hybrids to reduce emissions.
A battery electric bus is an electric bus that is driven by an electric motor and obtains energy from on-board batteries. Many trolleybuses use batteries as an auxiliary or emergency power source.
A charging station, also known as a charge point, chargepoint, or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a power supply device that supplies electrical power for recharging plug-in electric vehicles.
Smart highways and smart roads are highways and roads that incorporate electronic technologies. They are used to improve the operation of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), for traffic lights and street lighting, and for monitoring the condition of the road, as well as traffic levels and the speed of vehicles.
Resonant inductive coupling or magnetic phase synchronous coupling is a phenomenon with inductive coupling in which the coupling becomes stronger when the "secondary" (load-bearing) side of the loosely coupled coil resonates. A resonant transformer of this type is often used in analog circuitry as a bandpass filter. Resonant inductive coupling is also used in wireless power systems for portable computers, phones, and vehicles.
A capacitor electric vehicle is a vehicle that uses supercapacitors to store electricity.
On-Line Electric Vehicle or OLEV is an electric vehicle system developed by KAIST, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, which charges electric vehicles wirelessly while moving using inductive charging. Segments composed of coils buried in the road transfer energy to a receiver or pickup that is mounted on the underside of the electric vehicle, which powers the vehicle and charges its battery.
Road powered electric vehicles (RPEV) collect any form of potential energy from the road surface to supply electricity to locomotive motors and ancillary equipment within the vehicle.
Hutchinson is a French multinational Group known as the third-largest manufacturer of non-tire rubber in the world. It was founded in 1853 by Hiram Hutchinson in Châlette-sur-Loing, France.
Conductive charging is conductive power transfer that replaces the conductive wires between the charger and the charged device with conductive contacts. Charging infrastructure in the form of a board or rail delivers the power to a charging device equipped with an appropriate receiver, or pickup. When the infrastructure recognizes a valid receiver it powers on, and power is transferred.
SAE J3105 is a recommended practice for automated connection devices (ACD) that mate chargers with battery electric buses and heavy-duty vehicles. The practice is maintained by the SAE International with the formal title "Electric Vehicle Power Transfer System Using Conductive Automated Connection Devices Recommended Practice", and was first issued in January 2020. It covers the general physical, electrical, functional, testing, and performance requirements for automated conductive DC power transfer systems intended for heavy duty vehicles, focusing primarily on transit buses.
Alstom APS, also known as Alimentation par Sol or Alimentation Par le Sol, is a form of ground-level power supply for street trams and, potentially, other vehicles. APS was developed by Innorail, a subsidiary of Spie Enertrans, but was sold to Alstom when Spie was acquired by Amec. It was originally created for the Bordeaux tramway, which began construction in 2000 and opened in 2003. From 2011, the technology has been used in a number of other cities around the world.
The Swedish Transport Administration electric road program or Swedish Transport Administration Electrification Program is a program involving the assessment, planning, and implementation of an electric road national infrastructure for Sweden by Trafikverket, the Swedish Transport Administration.